“What do you want me to do once the healer has healed his friend?” Vreek asked.

I stared at Vreek and finally noticed just how much taller I had gotten. I was looking down at him; thus, he was now looking up at me.

“Kill him. Do it however you want. Cut out his heart. That one belongs to you.”

Vreek bowed and strode towards where Turk and the two healers were. I could only imagine what Vreek might do to that man. A swift death was not likely.

“Lord Zolb!”

An orc was running to me from the direction of the gate we had come through.

“Captain Blug told me to tell you the hero you are searching for is near the gate and to come quickly. He has killed a few of us already!”

I nodded and looked back at Turk and Vreek.

“I’m going to the gate," I called out over my shoulder. "Turk, you are in charge. Make sure the one who is healed stays alive.”

As I started running towards the gate, I slowed down and grabbed the broken sword of the hero I had beheaded. I continued sprinting down the street past burning houses. Corpses lay everywhere. They were mostly human, but a few elves made up the dead. Goblins and orcs were going door to door killing those who ran from the burning houses. None of them noticed me as I was nothing more than a blur in the darkness.

As the gate came into view, I saw an older man with white hair holding two swords, trying to engage the orcs and Commander Blug. They continued to move away whenever he approached. I saw a few corpses of goblins and an orc that were on the ground near him. He must have caught them off guard.

I felt my anger was building inside of me, and I was ready to take my wrath out on him.

“Back off! He's mine!” I yelled.

As I shouted, it echoed down the street and off the buildings. It seemed to reverberate more than I had expected it to. The man turned when he heard me and watched me as I arrived. Blug and the others moved further back, giving him and me a wide berth.

Slowing down, I stopped about five yards from the man and measured him up. The way he moved and held himself told me he was skilled in fighting. I saw him looking at both swords I was holding. He seemed to recognize the sword that had belonged to the one I had killed.

“Someone can have this sword as a reward when this is all over. For now, leave it alone.”

I tossed the broken sword towards him and watched as the man looked at it on the ground near him. I could see anger and hate in his eyes, but he was skilled enough not to let it take over. If I had defeated the one who owned that sword, he knew I was not one to take lightly.

Smiling, I held my free hand up and beckoned him to come to me. There was still much to accomplish tonight. I needed to get this over with.

He smiled back and pointed both sword tips at me as he took on a lower stance. Suddenly two magic bolts flew from the tips of his sword toward me. Lifting Light Drinker, I intercepted both of them and was shocked as they disappeared against the black blade. I had not known that would happen.

His eyes went wide and I saw the concern grow across his face. Crossing his swords, I heard him mumbling, and a fireball lept from both swords towards me. I used my sword like a tennis racket and whacked the fireball back toward him. He dove to the ground as it roared past him and exploded against the wooden wall behind him, sending chunks of wood everywhere and turning it into a roaring blaze.

I threw back my head and laughed. Shaking my head at him, I again lifted my hand and motioned for him to come at me.

I watched him stand up, and I saw the look of one who knew death was imminent. I saw that same look just a few minutes ago. He realized he was going to die. He plunged both of his swords into the ground at his sides and started chanting again and waving his arms in different directions. I could feel the air start to crackle with electricity.

Crap! This must be like an ultimate spell or something. A last-ditch attempt when all is futile. I knew I had to move or those around me might die. Hell, who knows how powerful that spell could be and I might die.

Leaping forward, I used my right hand and struck him across the face, sending him tumbling back about ten feet. I had not meant to hit him that hard but I also did not know how strong I was now. Walking over to where he was, I bent down and put my fingers on his neck. The pulse was there. He did not appear to be dead.

“Blug, come here now!” I bellowed.

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I pulled my knife and sliced the side of his armor apart. As I was finishing up one side, Blurg made it to me.

“Yes, Lord Zolb?”

“Strip him, bind him, and transport him to the center of the town. Turk is there. Tell him I want to question this one. If he struggles or harms anyone, kill him without hesitation.” A growl seemed to rise up my throat on its own after that last command. I could feel myself acting differently. I was more brutal and goblinish. An effect of May's heart?

“Understood!”

Blug shouted at a few orcs who came and started working on the task with him. In less than a minute, the man was stripped naked and they were working on securing his hands and feet.

“Blug one last thing.” I gazed at Blug and saw that I had his full attention. “His items are yours. A reward for what you have accomplished tonight.”

Blug bowed and motioned for a goblin to come to collect these things.

“Thank you Lord Zolb. It has been my honor to watch you restore our bloods honor.”

Nodding, I turned and started running towards the south side of town. I needed to take care of things there.

Sitting on the fountain's edge, I lost myself gazing up at the moon. In less than two hours, we had subdued and destroyed the city. Anyone still alive was in hiding and their chances of surviving were decreasing quickly. The fires had spread and multiple houses and buildings had already collapsed. Vreek was raiding the guildhouse with a few other orcs and the captains were collecting ore, weapons, and armor to take back to Brar.

I felt a small sigh escape as I thought of the thirteen goblins, six orcs that died, and others who had gotten injured. Hundreds of people had died from our attack and there were multiple parties gathering the hearts of all the ones we had killed. Another group was dragging and burning the bodies after the hearts had been harvested. No point in letting anyone know exactly how many people we had killed or hearts Brar would now have. The goblin camp would grow a lot stronger after tonight. It would need to be stronger for what might come after them.

Glancing down, I looked at the pouch with two hearts in it that was next to me. Dirk had brought them. He had found two assassins in town. They were the main reason we had lost so many goblins. He had killed the first one he said, while the other one was killing an orc. Neither had known he was there when he came up behind and ended their life.

“What now?”

I glanced up and saw Turk looking at me. I knew what he wanted to know. I needed him to answer this question and solve this problem himself.

“What do you think we should do with the guild master?” I asked.

Turk groaned and rolled his head around. I could see him struggling with an answer.

“You and I both know he needs to die. He has sent countless heroes on quests to kill our kind. If he lives, he will be able to give dangerous intel about what we did here tonight.” Turk paused and then pointed at me. “Knowledge about you.”

I nodded that he was right.

“So what will you do?” I asked. “Will you make someone else kill him or will you defend Dirk, me, and every other goblin and orc who has died by this man's command?”

Turk groaned and bent down to pick up a rock. He turned and threw it at one of the burning buildings along the street.

“You know I do not mind killing in combat,” answered Turk. “It feels weird to me when they cannot defend themselves.”

I stood up and got in Turk's face. I could see the struggle in his eyes.

“Would you be ok then if I gave him his weapons and had you tell him that if he kills you I will let him go? Would that change your mind right now?”

Turk looked at me and I could see he was shocked that I would ask that.

“You would do that?!”

I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Listen carefully, I will do what I must to help you understand that right now mercy is not allowed. We are in a fight for our lives and everyone who looks like us. I look forward to the day I can grant mercy. I look forward to the day I do not need to wipe out an entire town. To prove this I will share a secret with you I was going to tell you two later.”

Pulling his ear to my mouth, I told him about meeting Bob and what he had told me. When I stopped and pushed him back some, I could see his eyes trembling.

“They are alive?” he whispered.

Nodding, I tapped him on his forehead and then on his chest.

“Now, we must do our part to protect those we were chosen to save. You can think with your brain or let your heart hold you back. What do you think they would do if those two friends were here today, having to make this decision?”

Turk stood there a moment and I saw the gears in his head turning. Duncan had been the one that saved Dirk. He had run back and attacked the heroes. He sacrificed himself, allowing Dirk to get away. There had been no hesitation at all when he ran at those who had cut him down.

Turk suddenly moved past me and stood over the guild master. The man was bound hand to foot and saw how Turk was looking at him. He smiled and lifted his head up and exposed his neck. Turk started to shake and laid his head back and roared. Every goblin and orc that was around us turned to see what was causing this commotion.

After he stopped roaring, Turk bent down and said something to the guild master, which caused the man to start to tremble. He started yelling at Turk and I realized I could almost understand some of the words Turk and him were saying. Not all of them but a few. My brain picked out the words; pain, suffer, die, mercy, none.

Turk turned around and ordered for rope and spikes to be brought. Orcs and goblins took off looking for what he had ordered.

“What are you going to do to him?” I asked.

Turk turned and faced me. I saw the anger in his eyes he had been holding back for so long.

“I am going to skin him alive and then let the warriors here eat him.”

The healer we had kept alive, passed out multiple times as he was forced to watch what Turk and the warriors did. He emptied his stomach over and over, yet Dirk kept splashing him with water from the fountain and held his face so he could not look away.

Warriors could be heard whispering about Turk and what he had done to that man. I knew that he was somehow keeping him alive through magic. Turk had not allowed him to pass out from the pain. When Turk finally called off the warriors who had literally eaten the meat from the man's bones, Turk stood over the man and gazed into his eyes. He then plunged his hands through the man's chest and ripped out his heart and took a bite before the man’s very own eyes.

Turk turned his head and looked at me.

I nodded. He had earned that heart.